Tomorrow I leave for what is almost a political blogger’s dream vacation. Okay, that does sound a little weird but if you are anything of a political wonk and like to write about it Netroots Nation is the perfect place to be, especially if you’re on the progressive side. For three solid days a bunch of progressive political bloggers from across the U.S. gather in August to share ideas, hear from key political figures and get a recharge to head back and cover the political landscape of our states, counties and cities. Some, such as founder Markos Moulitsas of the Daily Kos, will bring the conversation up to the national level. Others like KT Musselman, Matt Glazer, and David Mauro, all of the Burnt Orange Report, will bring us the scope at the state level. Regardless, for one weekend we’re just a bunch of political bloggers enjoying the time together. Read more…
Sunday in an article in the New York Times it seems that many people who start blogging either walk away from the experience or have reduced the number of blog postings published. “According to a 2008 survey by Technorati, which runs a search engine for blogs, only 7.4 million out of the 133 million blogs the company tracks had been updated in the past 120 days. That translates to 95 percent of blogs being essentially abandoned, left to lie fallow on the Web, where they become public remnants of a dream — or at least an ambition — unfulfilled,” states the article. Sometimes I wonder myself why I keep posting to this blog. Then I see something happening in the world around me and find I have to say something about it and the blog continues. But why should one blog and what makes a good blog? Read more…
Yesterday I decided to make some changes to my blog to position it for the future. The most significant change was the URL for the blog. Whereas before it was my personal domain name, I moved it to the name I had registered to match the name of the blog – Concerned Citizens. A few more changes and it’s running under the new name. That also allows it to grow should I start adding other contributors. It’s no longer about me any more. The other change may have been more subtle but got me thinking. I started incorporating other blogs in my blog roll on the right sidebar. What I discovered during that exercise was interesting. It made me ask the question of how long this blog would survive. Read more…
Facebook recently changed their platform to more resemble the Twitter style approach to news feeds. It’s commonly called microblogging and seems to be gathering traction in the social media space. Some view it as the future. I see it as just another tool in the social media toolbox. Use it where it makes the most sense. So when do you use blogging and when do you microblog? Read more…
I ran into Matt Glazer of the Burnt Orange Report during SXSW and found out they are in the running for Best Blog in a poll being conducted by Austin 360, the entertainment arm of the Austin American-Statesman. If you enjoy reading BOR you can help them out by jumping over and voting for them in the poll. The folks that run that blog have been my inspiration for blogging and jumping into this environment of social media. I enjoy it because they provide a pretty darn good perspective of all things blue in politics. Even though the crew is young they are seasoned and experienced and demostrate it in their management of the blog. So give them a boost by voting if you get the chance.
Things have been changing at Concerned Citizens and I thought it might be good to provide an update on where the site is now. As I stated in the About section this is really a technology experiment with WordPress and social media to understand how it can be applied in society. To do so required content which has now become a daily passion and commitment. Readers have been increasing and the dialogue in the postings has been great, make that incredible. To keep up with a growing audience I have been making changes. Read more…
Just recently in a column by Jaime Castillo in the Express-News there were some comments regarding some of the various political blogs that have been started in the San Antonio community. While I haven’t found all of them one that has recently started up is the San Antonio Mayor blog that focuses on San Antonio issues. There’s also the Walker Report hosted by Judge Steve Walker and South Texas Chisme picks up San Antonio news in its list of postings. Along with those is the Burnt Orange Report, a fine progressive Democratic blog hosted by some current and former college students in Austin. All are fine blogs and carry their message in a unique sort of way. Read more…
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